I am thou, thou art I
by LinkinKnight
Summary: As the lastest Wild Card's journey is reaching its climax, he wonders about the future, and decides to leave something to the next guest to the Velvet Room.
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue and introductory chapter.**

January 22, 2017.

"_Persona, Hermod" He yelled, as two demonic looking dogs screamed as they froze before disappearing. A boy lowered his sword as he panted and smiled. Just one battle is left. Hati and Skoll both perished, and the Giant Serpent, Jorgumandr had been defeated, not even counting those Persona Users with Loki, Fenrir and Ymir. His journey was about to end, and the last battle of Ragnarok will be fought in two months time._

"_I'm not going to lose against fate. Humanity will live!" That brought a cheer from his team._

A blue haired boy stared at the moon quietly. His companion, a platinum blonde in a blue maid outfit with a yellow pin with a V in it, just looked at him, near expressionlessly. Key word, near.

"What is it that troubles you?" She asked formally.

"Eleanor" The boy sighed, seeming shorter than his 5'9 could suggest.

"Will this happen again?" He asked, green eyes fixed in her, who looked at him confused.

"It depends on what are you talking about" She answered calmly.

"This whole deal with Shadows, finding the Velvet Room, and dragging a group of random teens in an adventure with the world at stake" He answered, his eyes back on the moon.

"Human nature is two faced, there will always be things that you will deny and suppress," The boy shrunk at that, while his mind reeled, while Eleanor continued. "Of course, when that happens, there will always be people who will rise to protect the human world"

"Those fated to face the Shadows will, one or all, have the assistance of the Velvet Room and its residents"

The boy smiled at that, it was true. No matter how hard things got, he had Igor and Eleanor to help him and give him advice in his darkest times. _Even if she gave me hell when 'testing me'. _He subconsciously rubbed his shoulder.

"Thanks, I needed that" With that, the boy escorted her to the Velvet Room's door before going to his and his brother's place.

"Nice night?" The man said as he worked, he was in his mid twenties, and short, but somewhat spiky silver hair. He looked a lot like the teen, but the ten year difference caused some differences between both of them.

"Yeah, helped me clear my mind" The boy said as he hung his coat and took off his scarf.

"The last battle thing affected you, didn't it, Touma?" The man said, as he grabbed a nearby sheathed katana, as he was part of Touma's team after a shadow attacked him from the mirror and attempted to steal his emotions, but dragged him to the Mirror World, or as they called it at times, Na-strond, essentially Norse Hell. They managed to save him, and he earned the power of the Hierophant Arcana, and his Persona Vasir, which now evolved to Valfather Odin.

"Yeah" He looked away, to the nearby window. "But there is nothing to do now, just to get ready and face it head on"

"Hope I can duck work long enough for us to do it"

"Me too, Koji-nii"

Now in his room, Touma pulled out his own laptop, and turned it on, along with a music player in his room, putting some rock music in the place.

One last sigh and he got to work.

"_If you are reading this, my battle is over and me and my crew won. But it also means that fate hasn't stopped moving, and it's your turn to find this insane, yet fulfilling mission: to save humanity from the darkness inside their hearts. It may scare you, but if you found the Velvet Room, things will start to make sense to you. As a Persona User, and, even more, as a Wild Card, your power will let you change fate for the better if it's used correctly. _

_I may or may not be alive when you find this, but whatever happens, I am like you, just a boy thrown into an unbelievable situation, where things aren't always what they seem, and the danger is very real, so I hope that this gives you what you need to survive and get to your goal. Just remember, you are not alone, and it's exactly that why you will be able to win, because of your bonds"_

With that, Touma stopped, before having an idea of a cover and a dedicatory.

"_I am thou, and thou art I, a guide for good Persona Users"_

_By T. K._

And in a new page he wrote:

"_For all those who saw the world change in front of them"_

"_For those who prevented the world from being completely corrupted"_

"_For those who fought Death for everyone's souls"_

"_For those who faced themselves"_

"_For those who broke the chains of their slavery and lived like themselves"_

"_For those who conquered the fear that stopped them from living, and moved to the future"_

So, there you have it. I wanted to do this, and I decided to try my luck to see how it goes. For those curious, Touma is the wild card from his group, and he is a native from the Star Arcana, and his initial Persona is the Ice-based Hermod. I checked, and it was used in Trinity Soul (just checked the wiki and it was a Magician, like Odin is an Emperor, but, hey, everyone is different. Now, he doesn't know much about the other groups, beyond some vague details from Eleanor, and a few rumors about the Shadow Ops.


	2. The Velvet Room

**Chapter 1: The Velvet Room.**

**January 23th, 2017 Monday.**

Touma wiped some sweat from his forehead as he and a friend returned from the local club. He offered to help him perform as a bassist whenever he asks him to. The boy was a dark skinned boy, nearly as tall as Touma, with black hair slicked back and a few red strands.

"You owe me for this, Tsubaka"

"Drop the nickname, please, buddy"

"Only after I get over the girls nearly tearing my clothes, Tsubasa"

"I am already used to it and I love it" Tsubasa laughed "You can slice lovecraftian horrors ten times your size without any trouble, yet some fangirls scare you? I don't get you"

"I punched yours out too, remember" During Touma's first trip to the Mirror World, Tsubasa got dragged in, and the reckless Tsubasa got hit by a Shadow and was nearly knocked out. But the Star awakened inside Touma, and he summoned Hermod to stop the danger, which along with his kendo skills, allowed him to win many battles. But Tsubasa's shadow self appeared, and Tsubasa could not take its accusations, and attacked them. Touma could barely survive its fire attacks, but, due to Tsubasa not being a good loser, his shadow punched Touma hard enough to knock him down. Tsubasa faced his fear of failure, high expectations of himself and his insecurity for his future to earn his persona, Bragi, of the Magician Arcana, which now took the shape of Freyr. Since then, the two of them became best friends, and Tsubasa used his bow and arrow to defeat shadows, along with this Persona's fire and to a lesser extent, light powers.

As they walked along the street, they came across a blue, glowing door, which caught Touma's eye, but his right hand man noted it.

"What are you looking at?" Touma looked at him and answered:

"Just the stores, wondering if there is something good to buy during the week" _Good lie._

"Probably a couple mangas, but aside from that, not much, you have every good book that's come out lately, and the games too, we are better off going for food"

"Yeah, you are right, but I better save for a while" They both laughed, and said goodbye.

Touma dried his hair after a much-needed shower, as he looked at his laptop. He started typing the first subject of his guide: the Velvet Room.

"_Welcome to the Velvet Room"_

_Yeah, this phrase seems to appear anytime the wheels of fate start moving. Once everything starts, you find yourself falling to slumber and waking up in a different location, full of blue and meeting a creepy 'man' and a lovely assistant. The quote marks are because I am 90 percent sure that neither of them is human._

_But never fear, neither of them is evil (but I think the assistant takes a sadistic pleasure in when they take a "test", or as I call it, "sparring session from hell")._

_The room itself is described as a place between dream and reality, mind and matter. Inside it, time doesn't seem to flow, and you can end up using the services of the room for, seemingly hours, and yet, in the human world barely a minute has passed, speaking from experience. _

_Now, about the room's appearance, well, I can't help you much, since it's a changing place, every new guest gets their own decoration, thematically based on your journey. It could be everything from a plane, to an elevator, to a cabin in the Woods (the last one is mine)._

_Once the dung hits the fan, you will be given a Velvet Key, which will allow you to go into the room any time you want, from a door only you will be able to see. Don't lose it, the powers the room gives you are vital for you to survive the mess you got dragged into. I lost mine once, and I went completely crazy to recover it._

_Now, let's give you an idea of the residents, starting from the boss, Igor._

_Igor is an enigma, his exact nature is a question I can't answer, but he isn't human nor shadow, and looks like a madman or a tengu, is always hunchbacked and you simply can't tell what he is thinking about. But on the supernatural side of the things, he will be your most valuable ally. _

_He, most likely, is the one who told you about the strange things you are going through, and let you know about your part in this play called life, even if he did it via Fortune Telling (which I won't doubt ever again), in a rather vague way. _

_Igor's warnings will always be cryptic, sometimes annoyingly so, I still think he knew all the events from my last year before they happened, but could not get a straight answer from him. However, Igor only wants to help you, and tries to steer you in the right direction. Any time you feel your resolve fading and feel lost, Igor knows what to say in order to get you back to shape, even if you must read between the lines to figure it out. _

_But our big nosed fortune teller's most useful skill is the Persona fusing skill (read the Persona chapter for a study on the matter), as it lets you become more powerful in order to fight the ever growing dangers ahead._

_Note: Avoid making jokes about his nose, no matter how strong the urge is, resist it._

_Now, there is an assistant in the Velvet Room, another resident with a mysterious nature, blue clothes, most likely platinum blonde and with yellow eyes. These residents are… rather weird, at least from the point of view of a human. As they are clearly not human, and apparently never got out of the pocket dimension the Velvet Room is in, they behave, for the most part really serious, but say things you would call silly or ridiculous with completely straight faces. They seem to have no idea of social norms, so you might end up having to play babysitter anytime they go out of there._

_They seem to observe your relationship with your crew, and any other friend you make in the haunted place you are fighting on, and they let you know how close you are, and how to get closer and solve their issue (Read: Social Links). _

_You should try to calm yourself when you go to the Velvet Room, and this is one advice for your entire journey, the answers might be right in front of you, you just got to calm down and see it for yourself._

_Note: I always have the doubt of whether I go inside the room and disappear, or just my mind goes in, so try to seem as subtle as possible, and be quick unless you want to find your wallet missing or a wound you can't hide. And, since no one but you and some paranormal being can see it, your friends will most likely call you crazy, you are better off not saying anything about it. If your friends meet the Residents, either let them explain or try to be vague about it._


	3. Arcana

**Credit to Dreadburner94 for giving me the meaning of the Reverse Arcana.**

**Chapter 2: The Arcana.**

**January 29, 2017, Saturday.**

Touma sighed as he and a girl were in a library, attempting to study for the next test round. Attempting because Touma's interest vanished as soon as they arrived to Algebra.

"Come on, Touma" The black haired girl chided. "I can't let you copy me and this is the only class you struggle with"

"I know, Maki" He sighed, as the girl's gray eyes rolled as she attempted to explain it to him once more.

"You better get ready to do unpleasant things, life isn't that easy, you know?" Now Touma's eyes were the ones rolling.

"Do unpleasant things, huh?" Touma echoed "Like talking about your so-obvious-it-hurts relationship with Tsubasa?" He laughed as her face turned red. He knew her from long before he came to Suou, but messing with her was still amusing.

"I-I don't know what you are talking about!" She choked out. It was true. Both the Magician and the Empress had a "flirt and hit" kind of relationship, as the both of them always seem to try and one-up the other, and Maki had hit the Akaba boy several times on his dumber moments, as he flirted with her and, quite frankly half the girls they met around Suou city. But Touma, along with Koji and the others could detect quite a bit of sexual tension between them, and they are quite close on their calmer moments. _Hope it works out._

"No need to hide anything. That caused quite a bit of trouble back at the beginning" Touma reminiscenced as Tsubasa and him went back at the Mirror World to save Hana Morisaki, another future member of their group, Maki caught them and demanded to go with them as soon as she saw them locking and loading in Todou's store, and threatened them in order to convince them. A fight nearly broke out, but Touma defused the situation, and allowed Maki to come, but got a chain from the store before leaving. As soon as they got to Na-Strond, he tied her up so she didn't run away and got herself killed. As her shadow manifested, her distrust to men and need for approval and support came out. Touma and Tsubasa managed to talk some sense on her after Tsubasa's Agi spell finished the job. Ironically, Maki used the chain they tied her with as a weapon and her expertise in Ice skills were very helpful (provided she didn't use those powers on them), but not before working as a scanner for both of them for a while. But Freya is now part of the frontlines on the team as a healer.

"We better get this over with" Touma sighed, as they continued.

"Do you think about that?"

"About what?"

"About what our Shadows said about us and everything that happened, including your parents?" Touma flinched about that, but managed to keep it together. The Shadow attacks had concentrated in Suou City, but it had hit randomly on a small scale on other parts of Japan.

"I do" He admitted. "It's one of the many places my mind has gone during the year, but I know I can save them, and that can keep me going for a thousand trips to hell" Maki smiled at that.

"And your second point…" Touma leaned back on his seat. "What your Shadow said IS true, but it WAS blown out of proportion, and it wasn't you, but a fragment"

"Besides, we all grew up during the last year"

"You were gloomy when you arrived, now you are you"

"I am me, nothing more, nothing less" He gave a look of the books around and lightly saw one which caught his eye. A book he read a couple months ago.

_Tarot, a look to the future._

_Looks like I know what to write about next._

_Now, I know that a guide of Tarot doesn't seem like something you will need, but it seems to be a recurring motif in your journey. Every Shadow and Persona is an allusion to one of the Major Arcana, and the Social Links are also based on one of the Cards, and their meaning may let you know what kind of issue the people it represents has, it would also give you a clue about your friend's character._

_Now, I know, that as a Wild Card, you can change your Persona, and Arcana more or less at will, and that could cause a strong identity crisis, but remember you are you, and that's all there is to it, you have to remember who you are and who you want to be, and never lose sight of that, and that's enough._

_Now to the cards themselves, be aware that every card means something different depending if it's upright or reversed, it may be its opposite, or just something different, so without further ado: _

Touma started putting on the picture of every card of the major Arcana

_0/XXII/Non-Numbered: __**The Fool: **__The first card you should note is the Fool, a traveler, a naïve person who goes well with everyone, innocence and spontaneity. Overall, the fool represents the journey you take, which can end up any way you like, but also your curiosity, and the point everything begins. _

_Its reversed position actually has a card representing it: __**The Jester. **__It essentially refers to someone who has the same traits of the Fool, but either represses them or fakes them, it refers to someone who, unlike the sociable, open Fool, isolates him/herself and fakes ignorance to cause mischief._

_If any Social Link is a Jester, you better get ready to fight them at one point, because, as it isn't a real tarot card, he is faking being your friend and is going to betray you._

_I: __**The Magician: **__The magician symbolizes action, initiative, and power to reach their true potential. This card shows decision, a go getter attitude and someone who is always pushing forward, with talents he can harness and most likely a wish to reach the top._

_But reversed shows a lack of initiative, a tendency to be manipulative, a poor planer, someone reckless and whose talents are wasted because of it, meaning he is a sloth as we know them._

_Note aside: People of this Arcana seem to be very unlucky, and the most likely to be comically knocked around and humiliated. While it can be hilarious, you must remember that sometimes, laugh has to stop, and you must do your best so that person stays healthy physically and those mishaps don't affect your friend's self-esteem nor the relationship with the rest of the group._

_II: __**The Priestess/High Priestess: **__This Arcana seems to be a girl exclusive one, as it means hidden knowledge, wisdom, feminine mystery and patience. These people tend to be more reserved than most other people, and can be quite wise, even if how quiet they are tends to make you forget that fact for a second. _

_On the other hand, when it's reversed, the person can have their own plans, and refuse to listen to their inner voice (aka: conscience, intuition, common sense in some cases), making them ignore things that they know is true or real._

_III: __**the Empress: **__the apparently female only card symbolizes comfort, sexuality, abundance, creativity, among other traits. It is in short, the card symbolizing the qualities a mother should have. This is a person you could count on in times of emotional turmoil, and those where you must set your priorities, as nothing like a mother to support you on those times. _

_But those traits disappear when the card reverses, the creativity disappears and the Empress becomes the one that depends on you. Be ready to restore her confidence and helping her stand on her own two feet._

_IV: __**The Emperor: **__Now, this card tends to refer more to guys, and it represents a wish to control everything, it shows power, leadership, stability, decisiveness. Now we are talking about rather headstrong people, some may be, like Magicians, natural leader, while the Magicians lead the charge, the Emperor tries hard to keep any given situation under control._

_But that wish for control may get a bit… overboard. A reversed Emperor tries to control everything, are more difficult to convince otherwise, and lash out aggressively if you go against them. Even with how inflexible and, sometimes, moronic they are being, you must try to talk them out of these traits, even if you must literally beat it on their heads. Remember, you can't keep the rain from falling, but you can be covered when it comes, so it's better to just focus on what you can actually do. (Well, most likely there ARE beings capable of controlling the weather, but you aren't one of them, so complaining won't do you any good)._

_V: __**The Hierophant: **__Education and authority are important things, and the Hierophant is one of the more inclined for those traits. It is considered to be the Male equivalent to the Priestess (the later originally called Popess and this one was called the Pope). They are sharp people, wise and tend to have a relationship with the Divine (not always through), and tend to be obedient when they aren't the ones in power. They are the type of people who put emphasis on the rules, and use logic to solve their problems._

_On the other hand, that makes them rather repressive, they can be rather restrictive, and the wish to make things as according to the rules as possible can make them try to change the status quo rather forcefully. Trying to make them be more logical seems to be the right thing to do, but it isn't always easy._

_VI: __**The Lovers: **__Yeah, this card makes you think of relationships and dating, and you would be right. Currently, it's associated with love and the synthesis of two opposite concepts, the idea of finding a third option, finding a compromise when the two other option's pros and cons cause you difficulties. But before, it meant being at a crossroads in life, being presented with a dilemma you had to choose black or white._

_When The Lovers is reversed, the balance is lost, the values are in conflict, and there is no harmony in the person. Essentially, their minds are a jumbled mess, and priorities, right and wrong, and their choice making are thrown out of the window. _

_As an aside, as this Arcana means love, whoever it represents will likely be the flirtiest person you know, so be ready for some advances coming to you. Hope you like the attention._

Touma laughed at that.

_VII: __**The Chariot: **__Victory is something everyone chases after, and the Chariot is the symbol of it, war, conquest, self-assertion are the most notable traits you will see on them. Driven people trying to reach their goals, and can be quite violent at times, you should always keep things frosty while dealing with a Chariot, unless you want them to explode in your face._

_They have, however a strong drawback, they might have a strong will and courage, but they might lack goals or direction, misdirecting their potential to a goal that could be, frankly, self destructive, and lack the self-control to not hurt others in the chase of their goals, and their aggressive personalities might make that even worse. _

_VIII: __**Strength**__: No matter what you do, sometimes, the best solution you see for many troubles is to hit them as hard as you can until they disappear. But when you have the power, you need the discipline to use it correctly, the gentleness to give it a good end, the inner courage to keep going when it isn't enough and the virtue to not abuse it. Strength is the Card that gives you a righteous purpose, and stops you from becoming a bully or a villain, knowing you are powerful but stopping from lording over people. We are all just normal people, power just gives you a choice, and it's that choice that makes you a hero._

_The dark side of this card is represented by __**The Hunger/Lust**__, the danger of losing control becomes obvious, and whoever has this card takes a thrill from the power they have above the rest, maybe a previous weakness of body and mind kept them separated of the rest, and now they are basically addicted to their new toys, be it Persona, Shadow, Weapon, or just a high-ranking job or status._

_Fun fact, this card and Justice change places on different Decks, thought you might want to know._

_IX: __**The Hermit: **__While everyone needs people in their lives, sometimes being on their own is necessary, being capable of thinking and enjoying some peace might help you look yourself in the mirror and find out what kind of man you are and want to be. Learning by yourself might make you reach some of the deeper truths of life and what you are trying to reach on the journey you took. These people are introverts and tend to stay away from the spotlight, not getting into a crowd willingly, but they aren't bad people (or animal, I befriended a temperamental cat, so I don't worry about details too much)._

_But, while you are a part of society, many Hermits tend to completely isolating themselves from humanity without understanding themselves, causing them to hate society, being truly alone, and not even trying to change that situation, creating a vicious cycle._

_Remember, solitude and loneliness are two different things, and no man can bear being truly alone._

_X:__** The Wheel of Fortune/ Fortune: **__Fate is a dangerous thing, and there are many things you simply can't avoid. The Fortune means that you are reaching a turning point in your life, and that, one way or another the tides of luck will turn because of something out of your control (you know, weather, a new team member, a new breakthrough). People of this Arcana are trying to turn from the fate they are in, and as a result they are taking big decisions. Those have to be well thought, so don't take it lightly or you will be in a VERY bad place._

_But, when the Wheel turns, it might bring misfortune, luck gets worse and external forces have a negative impact in you. If things go that ways, you, and them could be caught on a spiral completely out of control, and that could only end in disaster._

_While your journey might make you defy fate, if you do so the wrong way, you will only doom yourself and others, and it's the same for them, rebelling and blindly lashing out is not the way._

_XI: __**Justice: **__Right and wrong are always in conflict, and one must always choose between the easy and obvious choices, and the right ones. It refers to, obviously, Justice and fairness, but also refers to rationality, objectivity, and analysis. Justice is blind, they say, and it's true, as everyone must get what they deserve for their acts and you must not be biased when judging someone. People represented by this Arcana have issues related to fairness, and finding a sense on seemingly senseless acts._

_But, when Justice is inverted, it leads to unfairness, to judge people arbitrarily and applying excessive punishments, and to act without thinking. They might try to rationalize that behavior with excuses such as "They had it coming" or "it's not my fault that (insert excuse here)", making them refuse to think things more logically, and to see the wrong on their acts. The third trait they earn is dishonesty; they become more underhanded and downright hypocrital on their attitudes, and are willing to do anything to get their way. _

_XII: __**The Hanged Man: **__Sometimes, reflections and sacrifices must be made to keep moving forward, and you might find yourself in front of a paradox, and everything you know clashes and contradicts itself (believe me, once I found out Shadows existed, I was raking my brain for answers once I had two minutes to think about the whole thing), and you need to think about things to make sense of them. Hanged Men tend to be the sacrificial type, those who put their well being and wishes on the line for the sake of others, and find themselves trapped between two extremes._

_While being willing to sacrifice yourself when needed is an admirable quality, one must always beware from senselessly put life and limb in danger just so death might mean something, and being trapped between two forces means you can't choose, and delay your answer can only end badly, so trying to get this card upright before someone gets hurt._

_XIII: __**Death: **__While it may be a foreboding card (you'd have to be very messed up to look forward to your death), its meaning is more complex than that. It symbolizes changes on a fundamental level, cycles, and regeneration. There are many things that follow a cycle, such as life and nature in general. Death may be inevitable, but you must simply enjoy life and having no regrets when death arrives._

_Change is something natural, and while we may be reluctant, we must learn to accept it, for there are those who refuse it and try to avoid it at all costs, and are unable to letting old feelings go. That denial may cause them trouble and needless pain. The healthiest thing you can do is to let time heal all wounds, at least try to let grudges fade, wounds heal, and to at least ease the pain so you can keep living._

Touma contemplated that advice for a second. He still hated Akatsuki, Kido and Kira, but he tries to not think about it. _Two of them are broken, and the last one is dead, and that's it, no need to let them ruin my life any further._

_XIV: __**Temperance: **__Balance is always something you must try to achieve, trying to make time for both fun and responsibility is something we must learn. Synthesis, prudence and harmony, and the opposite merges, creating something new and wonderful. You must always consider both good and bad of things, many times they are part of the same, and you must simply make the best of it._

_But there are people who always want more, and break that balance, and fall into an excess, trying to get more than what's healthy, and fail to realize how much damage that causes, and on the long run that comes back to bite them, badly. A reverse Temperance only cares for the moment, to get a short term gratification, and the long term is forgotten, so you know they are trouble._

_XV: __**The Devil: **__There will always be moments of temptation, where our wishes go against our principles, because of that, we must always be steadfast and strong on our values. It may lead to making deals with the Devil (unless the supernatural devil is Igor, be wary, if it's a natural one, try to think if it's too good to be true), and trying to balance indulgence (enjoying yourself, basically) and abstinence (refrain from doing so because of your sense of right and wrong)._

_While the reversed Devil means detachment, breaking free, reclaiming power, likely from the abstinence we talked about, you must remember no excess is good and that too little and too much can cause you severe trouble._

_XVI: __**The Tower: **__This card rarely means anything good, as it is based on the story of the Tower of Babel, and means pride before a fall. It is used to show a fall from grace, how the prejudiced, arrogant authorities (insert your political joke) walk to an ironic demise. As you can see, this card is used as the most common "shit's gonna happen" card, and it calls for a fall from grace and a deep, destructive change. Beware falling to your pride, and stop yourself before dooming everyone._

_When the Tower reverses, they become aware of it, and actively try to avoid it, even if it's inevitable, and fear change, because of the ill omen that befalls them, even if they do need to start from scratch in order to get better._

_XVII: __**The Star: **__Hope is always an important source of inspiration, it's what fuels our fighting spirit and keeps us going when the odds are against us. As long as we have some hope and joy with us, there is no impossible. For you to be a Star, you must be generous, , confident, peaceful and joyful. Essentially it shows how to overcome adversity, and the belief that there is always a chance, even if it's one in a million. It may even give you a bit of luck._

_But, when the Stars die, so would your hope, losing faith and falling into despair are things you must avoid, and the discouraging words of the others must not get to you._

_Remember, you only have a chance as long as you believe you have one, so you better don't lose your resolve or it's all over._

_XVIII: __**The Moon: **__The moon has a lot of symbolism as it has been a source of inspiration for humanity since ancient times. It means illusion, dreams, fantasy, but it's also it's associated with madness, fear, trickery. As you can see it's closely linked to the mind, conscious or subconscious, and being more attuned to your surroundings, knowing things without being told. _

_But as you can imagine, the light of the moon hides more of a few secrets in them, they may act on confusion, be ready to point to what the moonlight hides, find that unhappiness, and the release of the fear they feel, which may only be a false belief, and they try to hide from themselves._

_XIX: __**The Sun: **__On the other extreme of our cosmos, there is the source of all life and light in our lives, the Sun, also a source of happiness, joy, energy, optimism and success. The Sun gives us our reward, our happiness at the beginning, and end of our struggles, and reminds us of why we fight and work so hard every day, no pain, no gain._

_Once the Sun sets, sadly, it means joy starts fading, and there is a fall in depression and it starts to seem like it is impossible to accomplish anything, successive failures are possibly the cause of it, discouraging people even further. Fortune favors the brave, however, and you must keep trying with all you've got. Success or failure may come, but if you don't do your best, you will only regret it._

_XX: __**Judgement: **__This is the point where everything comes to light, your purpose is revealed to you, secrets of life are learned, and you feel acceptance and absolution comes to you. At the end, everything is known and many questions are answered to you, your resolve must be clear when its light shines upon you. This card goes in certain decks with another name, __**Aeon, **__but it means basically the same, while both appear, unlike the Jester, it is a legit card, so the S-Link is real, if based in the same theme._

_But you must find yourself, and be able to face every side of yourself in order to get Judgement, and be sure of yourself and your actions. Self doubt is something you have to overcome, and your psyche will be attacked, but you must not succumb to your flaws, nor completely deny them, for refusal of self examination is the reason half the troubles you have, and why half your human enemies cause troubles in the first place. Even if they are older than you (I am a high-schooler who had to deal with a twenty-something pyromaniac, an elderly nihilistic butler and a depressed woman on her thirties), prove that you are the bigger man and take responsibility for your actions and try to be better._

_XXI: __**The World/The Universe: **__This power is hard to obtain, as according to Igor "the power of the World will manifest only when it's needed", but it's the culmination of everything you've done up to the end, it shows harmony, the world on all facets, in the end, it shows the totality of your bonds with others, all of which allowed to see the world in different lights. _

_But on the other hand, the world only shows itself through the bonds you have with others, lacking closure and completing things goes against the point of the world, and so is leaving questions unanswered, remember that._

Touma chuckled as he finished that. It may be true that he didn't have the power of the world, but he had nearly all of the other Arcanas. Kohryu, Asura, Lancelot, Zeus and Mercury, among others, gave him the strength he needed.

But his thoughts were interrupted by a call on Skype. Touma fixed his hair and answered.

"Hey, didn't expect a call today" He said, joking.

"Neither did I, but thought we could talk. Kirijo-san sent invitations for a party and I needed to catch up" A girl said, and her face, despite being shadowed, was obviously red.

"Nothing really, just working on a personal project and planning to graduate, and recovering from our last couple visits to the mirror"

"What is your project about, Touma-Kun? Can I help?" Touma thought about it for a second and answered.

"Could you please do me a favor…?" Touma asked, explaining his project and what he needed.

**Well, here is chapter two, at the time the longest of the story so far. It was kind of hard to write this one, since I had to check the meaning of several Arcana, both upright and reversed, and I was trying to explain their meanings and giving advice sounding coherent. Thank you, again, Dreadburner94, for helping me with the reverse Arcana. Now for those wondering, the mystery character is another party member, and a rich one at that, and, no, while she knows Mitsuru, she doesn't know about the Dark Hour beyond a couple "nightmares" when she was little, and is a fairly distant relationship, anyway. Now, enjoy, review (no flames, please), and fave if you want. **


	4. Shadows

**Chapter 3: Shadows.**

"Persona, Mercury!" As a robotic man sped through his enemies, before letting out a powerful green wind which knocked several shadows back. Touma dashed towards one of it and pulled out his katana, connecting two fast slashes on its face, destroying it.

"I got him!" Tsubasa's bow was ready, stopping one eagle-looking shadow from hitting Maki, who used her mace against it.

"_Keep going, guys, you are nearly done" _The voice of the Heimdall Persona, Jeri said to them.

"Let me end this", A pink-haired girl said, her white uniform and black skirt flowing as her skirt flowing on the wind, and her black haired Persona stood behind her, appearing from a blue fire that came from the girl, before forming a mirror and breaking, revealing her other self. She flipped and twirled her knives, commanding her persona.

"Sif, Garudyne!" A powerful gust of wind destroyed the last few shadows, finishing the fight. Touma looked around the Roman Coliseum, the dungeon of their absent friend and kohai, Shigeru Saeki.

"Nice hit, Hana-chan" Touma told her, patting her on top of the head, making her blush.

"Everyone did a great job, we have to keep that spirit" Touma said, and Tsubasa smirked, Maki nodded and Hana ran a hand through her hair. "While Koji, Shigeru and 'Helen' could not come today, they have all gotten stronger, and we must keep the shape from now on"

"Yes!" They were enveloped in a white light, before finding themselves on the entrance of the dungeon. Their scanner went up to them as Touma pulled out a mirror out of his pocket, which started glowing, before seemingly being absorbed into it.

They ended in a beautifully furnished room, with a book shelf, a 50 inches TV, a computer on the corner, a snack table, several movies on the corner, along with posters for classic movies. Several chairs were pushed to the corner, in order to give them some space to appear on the real world. Touma, Tsubasa and Maki put their weapons away, while Hana hid her knives on a different compartment, along with Maki. The shy Jeri just looked at all of them as they worked, before putting a chair on its place, sitting down, and started checking a few things on her phone.

"Anything good on Netmov, Tsubasa?" Touma asked, as the Magician took the control.

"X-Ronin, show of hands" Touma and Jeri raised their hands, while Maki just shrugged and Hana left to go for drinks.

"Gotta love this place" Maki commented as she picked up a book.

"Thank our dear Ojou-chan" Tsubasa laughed. It was true. When Hana joined the team, she got them their hideout, while her money could have been used to get better weapons and armor, not to mention supplies, she only uses that occasionally, in order to avoid her father asking too many questions and getting too involved, she just asked for a place to hang with her friends. As she felt wary of people only paying her attention because of her money, and feeling paranoid because of it, but Touma just laughed it off.

"**Money has its perks, but you are cool".**

Since then, she had been able to accept herself more, and became more confident, and an asset to the team. Touma wondered just when she learned how to fight with dual weapons, but he didn't really mind. She could defend herself and that's all that mattered, she was their friend, and in Touma's case, more.

Tsubasa and the Leader were helping Jeri with the furniture and Maki was trying to focus on the novel she had on hand. It was an added effort, but if they want to keep the whole thing secret, it's worth it.

Tsubasa decided to leave after a while, saying goodbye to everyone. Maki and Jeri left soon after, leaving Touma and Hana alone.

"So, you've got it" Touma asked, looking at her. He got closer, and she blushed, but kept her ground. She guided him to the computer.

"Yes, I do" She answered, pulling out a USB "Some are rather simple, but I am proud of the one of the shadow self"

"They are perfect!" Touma exclaimed, even if he didn't know much about art, he could tell that colors, shapes and shadows went together very well. "I can't believe you did this on just two days!"

"I had a clear idea, so I could put it on bits quickly, but managing to get it all to look good together was the challenge, too bad I didn't use pencil and paper"

"You are just incredible, anyway" Touma kissed her in the cheek, getting a small giggle out of her.

"What do you need this for, anyway?"

"A personal project, if everything seems to go to Hell again, I'll let someone know what to do and be ready for it"

"Do you think we will lose?" She asked, a bit disheartened.

"Of course not" Touma dismissed that idea a long time ago. Odin and Thor survived the battles, and he believes that they all can change fate. "But, we don't know what will happen after it, and some other group will be dragged into this"

"It sounds nice, but how will it reach them?"

"Do you remember Eleanor?" Hana winced, so yes, she remembered.

"I have no idea what she is, but I know she can do it, if I ask"

"How do you know her in the first place?"

"I don't understand it very well, but she is linked to those with my power, and can make it arrive"

"You really seem to have all the answers" Hana said, coyly.

"I learned a few things" He said laughing and getting her closed to him.

Touma spent a long time with her.

_Now we are touching an important part of your journey, meeting the dark side of humanity, beings so bizarre that they look as if Lovecraft got his hands on a Jung psychology book. These are the Shadows._

_Their origin is something confusing. As far as I know, they come from the minds of humanity, created from a fragment of the collective unconscious. Now, how little fragments of the human mind can take a physical shape; get elemental powers, and how a portal from the real world to their world is another issue, but that part is for you to find out. I know of it being possible, but the reason is something you need to find out yourself._

_Now, to explain the nature of shadows, let's see a little quote._

"_Filling the conscious mind with ideal conceptions is a characteristic of Western theosophy, but not the confrontation with the Shadow and the world of darkness. One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious. The latter procedure, however, is disagreeable and therefore not popular."_

_Human mind is a complicated thing, no two ways about it. Scientifically speaking, we have troubles understanding the complicated process of thought, and everything that goes through our heads. And we can't control it either. There will always be things you don't like going on there, but most people are willing to deny it, and never face it, and let those feelings are never faced, and like a sickness, if it's never treated, it just get worse as time goes on, and, like a sickness causes symptoms, those feelings cause changes on a person's, making them more temperamental, hypocrital or plainly prone to do something… extreme (such as, you know, killing someone, running away or getting themselves on dangerous situations). Overall, even if they seem fairly normal, they can be quite messed up, so pay attention to even the smaller slips, you never know what's down that rabbit hole._

_Now, onto the Shadows themselves, I can qualify them into three types, minor Shadows, People's Shadows and Boss Shadows (Note: I made those names up, so you can call them whatever you feel like)._

First, he added a few pictures, made in the computer by Hana, and put on a picture of a tank, a couple of stick figures in formal clothes, looking like a couple, and what looked like a fusion between a giant robot and a moai.

_The minor Shadows are just pieces of discarded thoughts from people, just a fickle part of someone's mind, a thought that came and went. About their sentience, I'd compare them to a wild animal, they are aware of their surroundings, and can fight in a group, but they can't talk and seem to rely on their instincts. As you can see, they can take quite… bizarre shapes, and they all are represented by one Arcana, which would let you know what kind of thoughts created them, but it is kind of vague (the list is quite large). _

_Now, every shadow has its own strengths and weaknesses, some may be obvious, but some will be surprising. Having a scanner will save you some shots and perhaps a hit from some reflections, and from making them recover from the damage you already made (this is something you must consider for all the types of shadows). And, even if one type of Shadow looks like a palette swap of other, better check first, because it may have different powers._

_Overall, you will fight these ones quite a bit, so be ready for it and smack them good. _

The youngest Kori added the second picture, one showing two halves of a schoolgirl, one side showed the girl with an innocent smile, on a classroom, while on the other side, the girl's eye was yellow and looked inhuman, all while sporting an evil smile, and the background was on fire.

_Now, we go onto something more serious, the people's Shadows come directly from human beings. Rather than just being a thought, it is literally the whole hidden side from that person. All their rage, fear and sorrow takes shape and become a replica of the person. But there are several differences, their eyes become yellow or some other unnatural color, their faces take an evil, insane sneer or a rather evil expression (believe me, seeing that on a friend's face is awful, and deeply unsettling)._

Touma stopped writing for a second. He had known Maki for a long time, and while what the Shadow said didn't really surprise him, it still was unpleasant, not to mention seeing it transform into an abomination of a girl in crutches. It happened the same with nearly every member of his team. Koji was the only one who could accept his Shadow without help, since, according to him, "being able to accept your flaws is part of what means to be a real man, as it is to outgrow them". Too bad Akatsuki and Kira chose that moment to attack them.

_As it is really hard for someone to accept someone (who looks like your demented, evil twin) blurting everything you tried to keep the world from knowing, those who deal with their own shadows will try to deny it, and from what I've learned, they get more aggressive when you are close to the 'victim' (as in, within the same room), until they go to full denial, and the Shadow will most likely transform into some kind of giant abomination, symbolic of their main issues._

_By that point, any effort to make them accept those issues will most likely fail, so you better get ready to fight. They are a lot stronger than minor Shadows, but the same rules apply, except it won't disappear when you win. After that, you have to talk to the owner of that Shadow to accept it, or else the Shadow will get up, transform and be ready to fight you again, even stronger than before, and you definitely don't want that. Just remember, a Shadow is the dark side of a person, what they hide and its real, but a person is much more than just their shadow, what matters is who they are and what they want to be. If they manage to accept it and have enough strength of heart, they will earn a Persona, and may join your team. (Note: The Shadow world tends to have a negative effect on a human's health, and may need a couple days of rest after you save them, and I have the feeling the damage you make to a shadow goes to the owner once it turns into a Persona, it's just a theory, but I might be overthinking things)._

Touma looked back, and remembered how they beat Shigeru's Shadow. At the end of the fight, he used a strong Rampage, along with Hana's Garula attack to send him against the floor, putting him through the ten floors of his dungeon, which was heavily damaged during the fight. He looked pretty bad once they got him out (not that any of them, particularly Touma and Hana were in good condition afterwards). Touma's next image showed the girl's Shadow turning into… a demonic, beheaded sheep. Touma didn't question the quality of the image, but didn't quite grasp the concept. He shrugged, it gets the point across.

_Last advice, if a Shadow has scanning abilities, be ready for an uphill battle, since they know everything you can do, and even changing Personas won't work on that case._

_And, I've been told that some enemies are able to create Shadow Clones (please, save the jokes about knucklehead ninja series), essentially, they do the same as a person's Shadow, but they don't want to be accepted, they just want to hurt you as badly as possible, and they know just what to say to do so. Taking that into account, just drop precaution aside and beat them into oblivion. _

_Now, finally there are the Boss Shadows. Minor Shadows, which represent stray thought, these are created by the merge of several shadows of a sentiment. Once this occurs, a bigger, more dangerous shadow appears; their powers are quite notable, and it can give you quite the run for your money, and they tend to gather minor Shadows around it, like people's shadows do. _

_Now, I know you will not believe this, but there are shadows above boss shadows, powerful enough to change the real world, it tends to be for the worse, I call them God Shadows. Worst case scenario, it can merge the Human and Shadow worlds together, turning everyone into shadows. We both know that you don't want that fate, so smite them, and smite them hard._

Touma put on a last picture. One chained figure with a bandaged face, two long barreled revolvers. Touma shuddered, as he remembered that thing very well.

_One last advice, there is one Shadow you must beware. It's called the Reaper, one very powerful enemy you will find at some point. It may be found anywhere, whether dungeon or treasure chest. It is a beast of terrible power, with multiple elemental attacks, amazing physical strength and tricks to stop any barrier you use. If you feel death, run away, if you meet it too soon you are dead meat, and that's the easy way. But if you want to fight it, do it when you have a team and six to seven months of fighting experience. It gives nice rewards if you win, but beware._

Well, there it is. A chapter that looks like a bit of a psychology test more than anything. I am not too sure of the first part, never wrote romance (or close to it). Now, before you ask, yes, they are trying to keep the whole thing in secret, especially from Mr. Morisaki. We all know what happened the last time a rich guy got his hands on anything involving Shadows and Persona (*coughPersona3cough), so it's for the best. Questions, praise and critique go to reviews, no flames, please. Bye.


	5. Persona

**Welcome to the story room. Thank you for reading this, for my writing seems to be liked well enough. Now, before touching an important aspect, I want to thank all of the people who favorite it and follow. Not too many reviews, but that's ok, I know people read it and enjoy it, so that's that.**

**ADeadDiehard: Yeah, it is something hard to explain, because, strictly speaking he is not. He was reading between the lines during one of his old talks with Igor and Eleanor (essentially, he got too curious about him being referred as a "new guest" at the start, and such other minor things), reflected on them and realized he wasn't the only Wild Card who lived an adventure. He bothered Elli a bit so he could get some info, but he only got a reference to Elizabeth ("She seemed to find a way to save the boy on the seal"), and a reference to the other teams ("those who faced Death", "the boy who cleared the fog of deceit" and "those who broke out of slavery", or however they describe the Persona 5 trip). Overall, his knowledge is vague and doesn't know anything in names and such. The only things he has are his experiences and deductions, but he thinks he can give a lot of advice based on that. So summarizing, all he knows of the 3, 4 and 5 teams are that they existed, and the theme of their enemies (Death, Lies, Slavery). The band of Kori's theme is Fear. I put it here so everyone knows.**

**Now, without further ado.**

**Chapter 4: Persona.**

**The Velvet Room.**

Touma looked as the light shone upon him as several cards mixed together. The Wild Card managed to get a new Persona, as he finished the Devil's social link with that evil cat, he himself called Metsu because of how chaotic it was. He still couldn't believe he had to help him get a girlfriend. _I know I don't do drugs, but I was sure I got high with something with that._

Now, he had a new, shiny Persona, Mephistopheles, of the Devil Arcana. Touma was surprised with how much of a stereotypical demon he looked like, but couldn't complain.

Touma remembered how he discovered his first and favorite Persona, Hermod. He remembered he was also behaving like an asshole those days.

_**Mirror World.**_

_**It was weird. First he wanted to try out the new, open the mirror portal power he had, but forgot several things.**_

_**One, the bokken he got from a delinquent he unwittingly ticked off.**_

_**Two, he was still in public, even if he was in an alley.**_

_**And three, the others were still close. He planned on going home and give it a look. But he didn't count on him showing up.**_

"_**Hey!" Oh, yeah, Tsubasa Akaba. Fun kid, a show off, but aside from being a bit annoying, Touma didn't have anything against him. Even if he more or less brushed him off yesterday. But the boy helped him with the punks, so he should be thankful. **_

"_**Thanks for protecting Maki, Kori" The musician said.**_

"_**It was nothing, Akaba-kun, but I have to thank you for covering my back" Touma said with a small smile. After the incident, he hadn't been too friendly, but he genuinely appreciated it.**_

"_**No problem, I am awesome like that" Touma rolled his eyes at that, but put on a mirror on his pocket. Touma walked away and decided to try and go home. But Tsubasa grabbed his arm.**_

"_**Now, I got a lot of questions to you. Where do you live? How long have you known Maki? What kinda music do you like?" He asked with a smile.**_

"_**I live in the Kanzuki departments, I know Maki since we were children, and I am more of a rocker, happy?" Touma tried to get away, but Tsubasa still tried to talk to him. **_

"_**Yesh, could you be colder, man?"**_

"_**Haven't had easy weeks lately, so please, don't cause me trouble" **_

"_**Stop being such a grump, man" Tsubasa laughed, but neither noticed that the mirror fell from Touma's pocket, a black figure was shown, and a portal started to open. Touma noticed, that he and Tsubasa were distorting. **_

_**But it was too late.**_

"_**Akaba, leave!" Touma said, but Tsubasa was distorting too, and couldn't get away.**_

"_**What the hell?!" And both disappeared. The mirror was all that was left.**_

_**The new world was… empty. It only had black and purple as far as the eye could see, a black fog like thing was in the air and made it hard to breathe, the floor made it seem like they were standing on an abyss, and, all in all looked quite desolate.**_

_**Touma groaned, as he got up. The landing hadn't been good and he landed head first. Looking around, he found his bokken, his backpack was still on his back and Tsubasa…**_

"_**Akaba!" Touma ran to the other, sprawled out boy who was about as dizzy as himself. **_

"_**What happened?" Tsubasa said, looking around, looking closer to snap on the second.**_

"_**Something opened a portal to another world, which I planned to check out later, alone" That nearly caused a heart attack on the other kid.**_

"_**What?!"**_

"_**I am planning to find how to get out of here, but, please keep it together" Touma was trying to keep it together, but it took Tsubasa had to take a couple minutes to do so. After that, they started to walk. Touma proposed to search for an exit. They tried their cell phones, but they blacked out, same with Tsubasa's watch and music player. That's something they have to check later. **_

_**Unable to handle the overwhelming silence, Tsubasa started to talk. **_

"_**So, how do you know about this place?"**_

"_**I found I could open a portal on the mirror yesterday. Planned on giving it a look, but it opened on its own, and well…"**_

_**Tsubasa nodded. "And what do you like to do?" Touma decided to just keep talking, it got his head out of this mess.**_

"_**Practicing kendo, videogames, and music mainly, but I enjoy a quick read from time to time"**_

"_**It's obvious you know your way with the sword, and what kind?"**_

"_**Music, rock mostly, the odd pop and techno as well" **_

"_**Same here, I want to be a star someday, I want to hit it big" Tsubasa smiled, but Touma saw something in his eyes.**_

"_**Good luck with that" **_

"_**So, why did you move?" Touma tensed at that, but talked.**_

"_**Family reasons" Tsubasa didn't press, because the blunette might hit him if he did.**_

"_**How about you?"**_

"_**I like music, I play several instruments, I dance and sing, besides archery and building models, it's relaxing, and always wanted to do parkour" Tsubasa's smile seemed more real. **_**Genuinely loves music, but doubts his chances to be a rockstar, or his own skills in general.**

"_**Ya know, you aren't so bad once you lighten up"**_

"_**Hope so" **_

"_**So, it's true that you beat twenty yakuza last year without a scratch?" Touma rubbed his head at that.**_

"_**That's just gossip, there were just five, I got a scratch and only later I knew they were Yakuza"**_

_**The next half an hour was rather quiet, but the tension between the two disappeared.**_

_**Touma, however, noted that Tsubasa was having issues breathing, and started looking sick. Touma didn't feel that good, but he was enduring better.**_

"_**We have to hurry, you don't look good"**_

_**Touma started hearing some creepy noises, a strange hissing surrounded the boys, the healthier boy grabbed the other and sprinted as fast as he could away from there. **_

"_**WHAT THE HELL!" Tsubasa yelled.**_

"_**We gotta get outta here" Touma whispered. He didn't want to meet the local wildlife, whatever it was.**_

_**Didn't get too far before running on a wall. Something that looked like a giant Viking drakkar appeared in front of them, and both boys decided to go in as the noise became louder.**_

"_**This is messed up" Touma didn't respond. The place looked way bigger than it should be, like it was a manor or something like that, and aside from shields and other weapons higher than they could possibly reach, it was rather barren.**_

_**The figures were already on them, Touma could make out a vague bat shape, with fangs reminiscent of a shark, with wings and its body had a prism form. Tsubasa was taking deep breaths, trying to get ready to fight as Touma took a kendo stance. An ear-piercing screech echoed through the ship, as the Flying fangs got close to them, Tsubasa tried to kick one of the three beasts away, but was knocked away by a wing strike, leaving the boy on the floor. Touma could barely block two bites, but seemed to lose focus by the second.**_

**I am thou… Thou art I**

_**One of the Flying Fangs went after Tsubasa, nearly sure spelling his doom, and Touma's too. Both boys will die and no one will ever find them.**_

_**No.**_

_**Something ignited in Touma, as his courage appeared. He refused to die, he won't die, not before he found a way out of here and saw his family again. And there was no way in hell he would let Akaba die either, not on his watch. With speed he didn't know he had on him, the blue haired boy was in front of Tsubasa.**_

**From the sea of soul I cometh.**

"_**Persona!" Touma's body was surrounded by a blue flame as it formed a mirror behind the boy, and over the surprised magician. A figure started to form, a towering man, of about 7 feet tall floated behind Tsubasa, it had long, messy blonde hair, covering one of its eyes, which were icy blue, and the only feature on its face. It was wearing a dark blue/purple biker ensemble with a cape the same color, and gold accents. To complete the image, it had a big, one edged sword. The world's pressure disappeared from Touma's body, and he felt stronger than ever.**_

"_**I am Hermod of the Star Arcana"**_

"_**No way" Tsubasa muttered as the newly awakened Persona user started his beatdown.**_

Now, that was one awesome moment, of course, it was ruined by Tsubasa's shadow appearing. But he managed to win the fight, and Tsubasa faced himself. It would have been better if it didn't nail him in the gut before, but beggars can't be choosers.

"**I want people to like me, yes, but that's not why I am a musician, I am one because I love it, and it's true, I don't know if I have a shot at making it big, but I'm going to try with all I've got, only that way I won't regret anything, now, get up, if you are me, you know I won't take things lying down"**

After that, they met a very weak figure that called herself Hela, and claimed to rule over the other world, but her powers were stolen. Obviously they didn't take her seriously, but she let them out of the world, so she wasn't an average being. That story ended up being true, and now she formed part of their little group, as "Helen Hale", even if her backstory was very shaky (Hana might have recourses, but completely creating an entire life is very hard, not to mention teaching her everything about the real world and basic math, English, science and British History, as they had to make it as if she was a foreigner), and she gained the power of a Persona, Hel, of the Death Arcana.

Now, he felt like writing again.

_Now, at this point you would have awakened your power and had your first encounter with the Shadows and you met your Persona. You would notice two things, one is its rather strange (but vaguely human in most of the cases) shape. And the other, its mythological name._

_Now, similarly to Shadows, Personas (the power, the term is Personae) have their origin on psychology, where it's referred to as "a kind of mask, designed on the one hand to make a definite impression upon others, and on the other to conceal the true nature of the individual". Essentially, it's the you that everyone sees and you use to protect you from others. As the cover on the shadow, what shows on both would most likely be very different, but you got to find how to reconcile both sides of yourself, in order to live happy and face the challenges ahead._

_There may be several ways to get your powers. Perhaps a shady supernatural guy will appear in front of you (not Igor, he is shady, but not evil), and do something seemingly harmless to you (a tap to the back, a handshake come to mind), you could instantly reveal your power on a dangerous shadow attack, or someone could invent a device that lets you summon them (a friend had that theory, but I'd rather steer people away from that, if I learned something from movies is that there are things men shouldn't play with), or you had that power and somehow it activated. Never mind how you got it, for from now on, they form a part of you, and can summon it at will, at least in presence of Shadows (given the nature of the power, it could, theoretically be summoned when faced with the supernatural, so let me know if you could summon it if you were ever attacked by a vampire), but on other circumstances, it will need something more to appear._

_They are more often than not named after some mythological creature like Pegasus , a god like Athena, a hero like Cu Chulainn, even devils like Satan (hope no religious fanatic sees them, lest he had a heart attack)._

_As the definition tells you, your Persona is, basically, you, your other self, based on a myth that fits you (I am still waiting for a Santa Claus Persona, but hope you have better luck, buddy). And its powers will most likely fit both of you, such as a Zio using Raijin or an Icy Poseidon (don't complain, it is the closest thing there is to water)._

_Each persona is represented by Arcana, showing what kind of role they had on their myths and the powers they had on occasions (the mages go with the Magician, just an example)._

_And, yes, they look rather surreal and in many cases unlike their original looks from the myths, but it's part of you, so I guess it's a compromise and it's better to just roll with it._

_Now, I know it may come as something to worry about, since as a Wild Card you can change your Persona at will, those changes could cause an identity crisis, but remember, you are you, your values and priorities may have changed because of your secret death-defying lifestyle, but the most important things are still there. _

_Now, there are two (or three, depending on how you look at it) types of Persona: Combat-Type, Scanner-Type and hybrids._

_Combat type Persona are the most common, they have the effect, as long as they are active of increasing your strength, speed and endurance to superhuman levels (notice how you now can take tornados, cut horrible giant monsters in half and dodge lighting? That's why)._

_Their powers are divided in eight different types (at least I have seen eight, you are alone on the others): Physical, Fire, Ice, Lighting, Wind, Light, Dark and Almighty._

_Physical attacks from a Persona are rather straightforward, as they use physical attacks such as impaling, cleaving or bashing the enemy. It seems to hold a special energy when doing it, but they can also tussle with the bigger shadows without them. These attacks take a toll on your body, so it's better you don't abuse it and keep a healer close, since abusing physical attacks will drag you closer to the grave on prolonged combats._

_Fire is the element of willpower, those who have this element are quite motivated and determined to reach the end goal. It shows in the Agi spells, and they look like a strong burst of fire, scalding every enemy on the way._

_Ice, as the representative of Water, is the element of Emotion, people of this element have emotion as the main motivation of what they do, and many wear their hearts on their sleeve, even if not very expressive. Ice is a dangerous element, as it has a chance of freezing enemies and turning them into sitting ducks, more vulnerable for physical attacks. The Bufu family is the most common Ice attacks._

_Lightning is a substitute for Earth and thus, stands for steadfastness. The people of this element have to stand strong and be stable for their beliefs and are rather driven. It also has a special, not too common effect called shock, which is the electric counterpart to freeze._

_Wind, or air, is the element of communication. People of this element tend to feel the need to reach out for others and communicate, talk. Tornados are the most obvious method to attack with these skills, mainly because I doubt shadows need to breathe, so we are back to giving them a beating._

_Light is the element of order, and it's associated with masculinity, but women can have it too. Light is a two edged weapon, as it is rather unlikely to hit, but if it does, it is a one-hit kill. It's wielded very often by the more angelic Personas, just for you to know._

_Darkness is the element of chaos and femininity, even if some men can have it, and since we might not be on the same side in the order/chaos debate, I'm going to withhold my opinion on the matter. Like light, is one game of roulette of a wasted shot or an OHK. The Personas of Darkness are associated with death and demons, not always but often enough._

_Almighty is something of a Holy element, even if it's represented with a hazard sign. It is a very powerful attack element, as nearly no enemy can resist it and hits harder than the rest, but it takes a lot more energy to use, so count the bullets._

_Darkness, Light and Almighty are, in theory, more powerful than the rest of attacks, but all have downsides. Dark and light both have a low chance to hit (30-50%) and in a fight you want something more reliable, besides, they simply don't work on the more powerful shadows. And, as Almighty spells are something of a neutral element, it isn't particularly effective against most enemies and takes a lot to cast them, so they aren't really practical._

_Now, there are several ways both Personas and Shadows react to certain spells: Weak, Strong, Null, Absorb and Reflect._

_If an enemy is weak to an elemental attack, it does extra damage, and it is able to stop an enemy for a moment, giving you a free shot, don't waste it._

_If it's strong, your attack is weaker, but it still does damage, so it is good for finishing a battle._

_Null is complete immunity, that attack won't do anything to your foe, so don't even bother._

_Absorb, aside of not letting the enemy being damaged by an attack, it heals them, so it is a big no-no._

_And reflect makes the attack bounces back to your face._

_There are spells to modify those, so make sure to use them wisely._

_There also status effects, which will cause you a lot of trouble, I will tell you later._

_Now, there are the Scanner-type Personas, these don't have offensive attacks, but they have the ability of scanning the enemy, figuring out how strong they are, their weaknesses and strengths, what attacks it has, among other things. And let you know when there are particularly powerful shadows, letting you get the drop on them. Besides, they will drop some assistance, giving you a power bonus or the odd barrier to save your life._

_They also work as something of a supernatural GPS, they can give you the layout of the dungeons you visit (believe me, it's impossible to remember every single floor and its quirks), and let you know where the important things are (treasure chests, staircases). Not to mention let you keep communication with your team when separated, and bail you out of the dungeon after a rough battle._

_One note of the Scanners is that, well, they aren't made for fighting, and they are essentially mission control, and will feel somewhat useless, as they are basically watching you and the rest of your team getting the stuffing beaten out of you, so try and provide the adequate emotional support before it becomes a big problem._

_And the hybrids are Personas that would normally be combat type, but have some limited scanner abilities. While they aren't as good as Scanners, they will do well on a pinch, but their reach is limited and sooner or later will stop working, at which point you will need a Scanner and the hybrid will come in and fight on the frontlines._

_An interesting matter is your special power, the Wild Card. I don't know if it's something you get from birth or you are chosen to wield it, but once you have this power you gain the skill to wield multiple Personas, of different Arcana and create new ones by fusing the old ones. While your selection may be small at the beginning, but as your bonds with your friends become stronger, you will gain even stronger beings. _

_The fusion process is made in the Velvet Room, and Igor is the one in charge of it. He is the one who does it, every Persona is in one card, and Igor takes them and in a ritual they disappear and a new one appears. The number of Personas you can fuse at once is variable, as it can be anywhere from two to twelve, but you should first register them in the Compendium, which your assistant keeps, which lets you recover any older Persona, in case you ever need it for a fusion on the future, or any other reason. But it will cost you a few yen, don't ask why an all knowing, vaguely human being who lives in another dimension needs money, because I don't know. _

_Once the fusion is complete, the Persona receives a bonus, giving it more powers, based on how much you have advanced on the respective social link._

_But the fusion is not perfect, and a fusion accident may occur, you had the recipe, thought you get everything right, yet you got something completely different. I guess even supernatural fortune tellers can make mistakes._

_There is another interesting thing, as most people only have one Persona, but that Persona can transform, evolve, in a way. Since you and your Persona are one and the same, any emotional growth you have will be reflected on your Persona. To your teammates, that will happen at a turning point in their lives, if the Social Link reaches its highest level, effectively solving their main issue, or otherwise something big that causes an important change on them._

_Now, there is something you should know. Since a way to gain a Persona is facing your shadow self and accepting yourself, there is also a negative way to it. The positive way would be accepting you are flawed and striving to be better, overcoming them. And the other is, essentially, succumbing to your inner darkness and becoming the very same monster Shadow Selves can be. Even evil people can have the same power of Persona you have, even if not a wild card, but they are corrupted versions of the power you and most good guys would have. Even so, the same rules apply to both you and them, so make sure to use what you learned._

_The second point is that you and your Persona are linked, you will feel any damage your Persona takes, so beware if it's ever impaled through the skull or something, since it is quite unpleasant. Likewise, you have the same strengths and weaknesses as your Persona, even if you are stronger than normal._

_And as a final note, beware one Persona, Mara. Just, don't use it. Once you see it, you'll know why. If you don't want your friends looking you like a freak, fuse it to create something else, or simply don't create it._

And that's a wrap. I wanted to make this chapter correctly, to show a few things, even if Touma started his journey as a bit of an antisocial jerk, even if he is still polite and wants to genuinely help out. Now, there are a couple things I want to say. In this occasion, there have been a bunch of nationwide shadow attacks, and Touma's crew is in the epicenter, along with the Shadow Ops on several locations of Japan. Now, as what happened to Touma and Tsubasa, Shadows attack people through mirrors. If you have the potential (i.e. Ken, Yosuke), they get dragged in. But if not, you get the Fear Disease, getting trapped within your own mind with constant nightmares, which is why Touma is living with Koji in the first place. And I admit to have thought of making Touma's ultimate Fool Persona Izanagi or Orpheus, but thought it wasn't right, so I chose Mercury. Well, that's all I wanted to say, so for now, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.


	6. Weapons and Equipment

**Chapter 5: Weapons and Equipment.**

Touma sighed, taking a deep breath as he practiced a few jabs, as his opponent, a tall boy with short, orange hair, green eyes and quite toned. Halfway through the year, he agreed to help a friend train, but Touma sometimes thought he got kicks out of beating him up._ Nah, Shigeru is a good guy, and I still have all my teeth, so it's alright, he'll stop long before it gets dangerous._

But in this match, he was out of his league. He was a great swordsman and was quick footed, but with his fists, he was a brawler without much finesse. He got better, but still, he loved the gloves and helmets right now.

"Are you ready, Sempai?"

"Just ring the bell, Shigeru"

Touma got off the corner, and started bouncing a bit, and could barely dodge a straight right to the face, and tried to counter with a couple of quick left jabs, but Shigeru blocked them, and countered with a hook, but Touma ducked, and tried a strong uppercut, but Shigeru stepped back, avoiding it completely, before going for a few jabs, which Touma blocked, but still stung. After that, Touma started moving across the ring, and Shigeru had trouble catching him, until the Wild card was cornered by the Strength. After three strong straights and a hook, Touma fell to the floor. A referee tried to push Shigeru back to his corner, but the boy was going on his own. Touma could get up at the count of 4, and was ready for more.

"Not bad" Shigeru laughed, which Touma returned. The boy recovered his love for boxing after the first year lost it because of fearing his own strength. After starting to think he was only good to hurt others, and isolated himself from others. When he disappeared, and after a rather disturbing talk with his shadow and the others, he found what power meant to him.

"_**I want to help out; I don't want to just break things. These hands are made to protect others, and that's my mission from now on"**_

After that, the power of Siegfried and Thor became part of the team, and a main muscle only behind Koji.

Of course, Touma missed a few lines because his ribs were very sore because of the extensive beating he took, and Hana had been a step above fried, so the nice moment was cut short. He was just thankful that Maki didn't fight yet and Helen decided to help out.

Touma managed to connect a powerful straight to Shigeru's sternum as the round ended. They decided to leave at three rounds, and Touma was sore after they were done. Shigeru too had some bruises, but wasn't as bad.

"Let's go, I want to pass by Fujiwara and get a few things"

"Right behind you, boss"

"You think of going into a ski trip?"

"Yeah, but gotta finish learning how"

"Don't know how to steer or something?"

"I can't stop" Touma chuckled at that, embarrassed. Shigeru followed suit. As they talked, they arrived to a place called "Fujiwara's Workshop". Touma and Tsubasa found this place during the first week of fighting Shadows, and it's been their place to get weapons and armor since then. They even sell some shadow parts they get and he makes stuff out of them. _Good thing he never asks questions, or else we will be in trouble._

"Sounds right for the man without fear" With that the conversation was over, as Touma pulled out his wallet while Shigeru talked to the smith and asked for new gauntlets, while Touma checked the chainmail. After a few minutes, they were ready and left to their homes, as Touma reflected on what he learned of weapons, armor and consumables, before setting out to write. Koji had a date today, so he will be alone. _It still surprises me how he managed to keep that relationship standing considering he has a daughter and everything that's happened this year, but Sana-san is a good girl and he deserves something like that._

_Now, as you would have had a first couple rounds against shadows, it would be a good time to talk about weapons and equipment, as it is more likely that you have to step up the game and get ready for longer and tougher battles. For that, and since you can't expect to fight only with your Persona, you will need weapons to fight yourself, armor to avoid serious injury and different items in order to make your life easier and not overusing your spells._

_Now, going from the top, let's see weaponry._

_Everyone who fights needs a weapon in order to defend themselves in case their persona isn't close enough, used too many spells or other similar situation you want to avoid. In order to keep your team from being caught flatfooted. Now, as to what can be considered a weapon, I'd say it could be anything you can wield and use to cause injuries on others. It is something of a wide concept, since anything could be considered a weapon, from swords and guns to even beer bottles. But the bottom line is, if you can swing it and hurt someone with it, it counts. If you have the need or the skill for it, you can use your own hands and feet (but still get gauntlets and leg protectors to avoid injuries, try to not get injured without need, it will make your life easier)._

_The first thing you should consider is which weapon you should choose. I had experience with swords before I got into the whole shadow business, so it was a no-brainer, but if you have no prior training, try to choose something you can learn with relative ease, and even then, don't do anything too difficult until you know at least the basics (you don't want to whack yourself in the face because you started showing off). And if you have the chance, take the time to train on its use until it feels natural to you._

_Now, it doesn't have to be the same weapon you are used to. If you can efficiently swing it the same way, you can use it (you can use two knives, but you could also use bottles, sticks or something of roughly the same length and shape). But make sure that you can wield it in a way you are used to. Using a spear like a sword, or a rapier as a katana will only cause you trouble, as their uses are different, as well as their shape and weight distribution. _

_Another issue is the weapon's weight, and this will also apply to your armor. Since you are going to be fighting for long periods of time, try to choose something you can carry around without too much trouble, and swing without straining your limbs too much._

_Aside from that, you need to be able to hide it, as if someone in our world sees you with it, you might get arrested and no one wants that to happen. Small weapons you can hide are good, but you can also get creative, or ask the people in the Velvet Room to keep them for you, or try to find a good enough bag to hide a sword or a bow and arrows, invent an excuse, just try to avoid suspicion, or else it's game over._

_The other issue I can think of is about guns and firearms in general. The thing about them is that they are very illegal, and thus are hard to obtain here in Japan, so unless you can go to America and back in minutes, you will have issues getting them, not to mention getting ammo, so if no one in your team has a license for it, forget getting them, and, even if they do, stick to handguns, as you can hide them and not cause mass panic as a result._

_You must, too, focus on keeping your stuff in good condition. Prevent your weapons from rusting, your blades from dulling and such. _

_Shadows also tend to drop, alongside money, different chunks of them, and you can, surprisingly take them to the real world (don't ask, they don't even exist according to science, so you can't just use the Internet to know what they can or can't do). If you manage to find someone who happens to be a skilled blacksmith, you can manage a deal to get him to make weapons and armor for you. Just make sure he or she is someone who doesn't ask too many questions or else you will either get called crazy or dangerous, keeping a low profile is essential so you can save the world and any innocent that falls in the crossfire. These weapons also have special properties for Persona Users. They can give you stronger spells, make you a bit faster and other such things._

_One little piece of advice, if you or one of your friends had never picked their chosen weapon before, get them to train on their use it correctly so they don't get themselves into _

_Now, while you should be able to dodge or deflect attacks, you will still be smacked several times during your journey, so you better put on some armor. Stuff like chain mail, bulletproof vests and such could come in handy. No matter how, but you have to compromise a few things while you get some kind of protection. Aside from durability, of course. Your armor must stop blows as much as possible._

_The first one is weight. As much as it pains me to say it, you really have to pick lighter materials, or else you will only slow yourself down, and won't be able to get much done as you will tire quickly. _

_The second is bulk. As I told you, secrecy is vital to work successfully on this whole Persona business, so try to pick equipment you can hide under your clothes. It will also make things easier as you won't have to spend valuable time changing, especially if you want to avoid awkward moments with people of the opposite gender._

_And the third thing is mobility. You will need to move your entire body freely, so try to get the most comfortable armor possible._

_You have to value the pros and cons of every piece of armor you get, as well as special effects the shadow made ones may have. I have my own vision, but the mobility vs. durability debate is something you and your friends have to decide, according to your preferences and your team's fighting style._

_There are also accessories, stuff like necklaces and such that could also have supernatural effects to help you in the fight, nothing too major, but it still helps. _

_Next, there are the consumable items. While they aren't supernatural in origin (in some cases), when interacting with Persona powers, they have special effects, such as recovering health and your stamina for spells, but they also can do stuff like letting you escape a dungeon and heal status effects caused by Shadows, you can go to the local market to get them, so try to at least keep rumors to a minimum. These status effects are the following (yes, you will find later that you can get the same results if you use spells, but it's better to have both, just in case)._

_Poison: If you are poisoned, your health will wither away slowly, and your physical strength will get drained, it tends to stop before you kick it or fall unconscious, but by that point you will have a major drawback. If you can tell one of your friends is poisoned, help him quick._

_Silence: This is more a reference to RPGs on its name, since you can talk just fine, but you are unable to use spells, which is particularly bothersome for those who depend on their magic to fight so watch out._

_Confusion: This one is a doozy, as it will make your friend hallucinate and be more likely to attack a friend or, for some reason, drop money. Smacking them in the head does the job to snap them out of it, just don't be too rough, you need them at full power or as close as you can get._

_Rage: Shadows can also mess with a person's emotions, as if they were drugged or something similar, and such they can induce a berserker rage on someone. While this lasts, they will charge and attack without pause, and tend to make more damage, but their guards are down, and thus take more punishment. The knucklehead way doesn't always work so snap them out, fast._

_Fear: Another emotion they can mess with is fear (it is artificial, so don't tease your teammates about it, it's not nice), and even a brave man or woman can be turned into something of a coward, and tend to get paralyzed because of their dread, or, worst case scenario, they run away. Don't worry, it'll wear off in a few minutes, but your ally will feel like an idiot._

_Exhaustion: Being tired is a natural effect of these fights, but if the shadows cause it, you won't be able to take punishment as well as you normally do, not to mention, you will steadily lose your ability to cast spells. Be careful, and heal them at once._

_Enervation: I already compared these effects as if you were drugged, but this one is the most like being high I've ever seen. When it affects you, your memory tends to get a little fuzzy, and tend to go "what was I doing again?"Not to mention they tend to act and move like they were drunk, with all the negative physical and mental effects you'd imagine._

_Dizzy: The best way I can describe this condition is being… disoriented, you get whacked very hard, and as a result, you can't fight back. Try and get the enemy out of the dizzy ally while they get their minds together so they can recover._

_They can also be knocked down or fall unconscious, essentially, they got beaten to the point they can't fight back, so help them get better before the shadows kill them._

_As a last note, I want to reinforce a point. I have dealt with Shadows for quite a while, I know the dangers, the stakes and the urgency of such business, but if you decide to go half cocked, the only thing you will accomplish is to get you and any team you have formed killed, so get everything ready and calm down before you go to battle._

Touma looked at that last paragraph and a sigh came to his lips, followed by an ironic smile. He remembered just how he had to stop Maki and Tsubasa from fighting when they had to go for Hana, and how, when Koji disappeared, Maki decided to do all the shopping so he could get his thoughts in order.

With that he saved and closed his laptop, ready to sleep and face a new day.


	7. Team and leadership

**Chapter 6: Team and leadership.**

**Note: This story is made under the assumption that P5 doesn't change the rules put on by P3 and P4, please consider that while reading this. **

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Shigeru asked as he and Touma helped Tsubasa carry something over a room. It was snowing today, so they decided to execute a plan they had for a while on the announcement room. The year of the Kyo Fuuji High School was nearing its end, and they decided to say goodbye with a scream everyone would hear.

"I am sure it isn't, but if we got this far, might as well finish it" Touma answered, as he pulled a bass from its case and helped Tsubasa with the guitar, connecting them to a speaker, and started playing a few notes, while Shigeru installed his drums, and Touma played his bass with one hand, while helping the other member put on the last drum of his battery set.

Tsubasa had started singing, his own song "Blood of Ice", something he called "Touma's Theme song", much to his leader's annoyance, but he genuinely liked the song.

In the classroom 2-1, Maki and Hana are looking at each other, bewildered, while everyone else started to either laugh or enjoy the beat, as a small blonde girl arrived; it was Jeri Matou, the seventh member of the group. One wielder of the Sun Arcana, a shy girl who tried to avoid getting close to others after years of bullying, and to do so she found solace on books, games and other such things, trying to ignore the pain from all of that. When she disappeared, along with Helen's major crisis, they could barely scrape a victory when Koji appeared and took the Shadow by surprise, defeating it before it could scan him, barely managing to survive. Touma knew how hard it was to fight someone who knew your every move when he sparred with Koji, but he never imagined how it would be facing something like that in a life or death situation. It was awful.

Thankfully, Jeri managed to find her strength, and balance getting new friends, along with a firm goal from now on.

"Sempai"

"I know" Maki pretty much growled. They so were going to get it.

The song ended, and the guys were laughing uncontrollably. Touma had to admit that, no matter how many troubles they caused, he always had fun when going with Tsubasa's plans.

A throat was cleared behind them.

_Evidence A._

After detention, Touma was rubbing his ears after Maki chewed them out, but he still regretted nothing, especially after he tripped Tsubasa over the Empress and snuck away with the team in the middle of an awkward silence.

"That was so worth it" Shigeru said, earning a fist bump with Touma, a head shake from Jeri and a dope slap from Hana.

"I still can't believe you idiots actually did that" Hana was mad at them, and had not been too talkative during the day, but if looks could kill, the guys would have been disintegrated several times.

"Hey, we are young" Touma said, giving her a small massage "And being young without some idiocy is a waste"

"Besides" Touma looked at the darkening skies "I don't know if we'd have another chance like this one, to have fun like this"

At that, the mood fell, hard, and no one knew what to say.

"Sempai…" Jeri started, but didn't know how to end the phrase. Luckily Shigeru and Hana were ready for it.

"Don't worry, man. We twisted the myths already, if we hadn't, Koji and me would be goners, but here we are. We just have to do it again" He said, remembering Maki freezing Jorgumandr's mouth before it could connect a fatal blow on him, and Koji beating Akatsuki down while Tsubasa shoved an arrow through Fenrir's skull.

"It's one last battle, we have been through too much to lose now" Hana reassured. Touma smiled, recalling just how hard it was at the beginning, but they managed to establish trust and work together as one great group. _Didn't make it easy, being a gloom myself. _

"I know this may seem a bit out of character for me, but…" Jeri took a deep breath. "Let's show this god wannabe that no one messes with humanity!"

"YEAH!" The four yelled, before the team's muscle laughed and started to tease the Sun, who promptly blushed, and The Wild Card picked the Morisaki heiress up and spun her a bit. One day, they might have to separate, and they, for sure have to fight a godlike force.

But for now, they are teens enjoying life.

_As you may have realized, fighting Shadows is a pretty tall order for just one person, and that's why you won't be alone on this, so you will have to form a crew._

_By this point, you might have found yourself with another Persona user who wants in on whatever adventures you found yourself having to complete. You may have had to save him/her from Shadows (even his/her own), awakened the power and don't know what to do with it, or they may have done some Shadow hunting before and you just got recruited (if a vaguely organized group exists), or found yourself creating a group (if it doesn't). Either way, fate puts allies on your way in order to fight this new threat. _

_One of the things you must consider is that, well, you don't choose who forms part of your team, the jackass jock or the social dominator are fair game, as is the quiet bookish kid or anything in between. Now, to put it in perspective as to how it may be, I can say that they might be decent people and loyal friends, but I would not blame you for doubt if they are the right people to bring into a battlefield._

_Among the things you should consider is their age. No question, since you are dealing with something obviously supernatural, and an adult, even after seeing it is likely to just rationalize it away, even if he lived through it and you gave him a life show about your powers. This is not always the case, but, still, adults tend to be kind of thickheaded on the matter. _

Touma just felt glad that Koji was open minded enough to accept how weird things got. _Then again, I should write a novel about this life, you can't just come up with this stuff._

_Not to mention the job issue. Adults have full time jobs, sometimes with an irregular schedule, so you must imagine how much of a trouble that would be. So, if an adult takes part of your team, you better hope is your teacher or something that gives you an excuse for him to be out of the office and roam the town._

_On the other end of the scale, children should be avoided. Let's face it, this shit is messed up, and I'd rather spare small children from seeing it. Now, if the kid still tries to fight, no matter what, then it is better to simply let him join to your group, so you could keep an eye on them. It is not an ideal situation, but is the best you could hope for. _

_Now, the elderly, as you must know, they have experience and maybe some wisdom on their side, but health is an issue, the same with anyone with heart conditions, and physically debilitating diseases, it is a tough battle, and you want to be as healthy as possible to go into battle._

_Now, talking about it, fitness is important, so you might want to avoid someone morbidly obese or other such people, I'd have no issue with them being scanners, but unless they are sumo wrestlers or something similar, they don't go on the frontlines, since the stamina is likely to be rather pitiful. But again, you don't get to choose, so you better get used to it and help out._

_Now, their physical conditions aren't the only things you should consider, but also their weapons and fighting styles. Now, previously we talked about weapons and Persona abilities, you must know them to know how to proceed, since some are more fit to damage from afar, while others are more suited for hit and run tactics, or can go for going up close and exchanging blows because of their endurance. Taking in account their skills and tactics is fundamental to keep a coordinated group and avoid friendly fire._

_Now, your group isn't only going to be together in battle, but also out of them, maybe you are in the same school, job or neighborhood, but you are going to see a lot of them, one way or another. And this mission is going to take a long while (been on this for nearly ten months, as of this chapter), so you better get working on them to cooperate, try to hang out with them, get to know them and learn about their lives, and talk to them about yours, show them the real you, and try to not be a distant asshole to them, or else it may cost you._

_There is also the communication business; you need to get things such as phone numbers, mails, home address and other such things in order to go adventuring in all together and have an idea of their schedules and other such things, not to mention to get them all together as efficiently as possible._

The writer decided to look at his phone and flipped through the numbers, before continuing.

_But there is also the trust issue. As Benjamin Franklin once said: "We must all hang together, or assuredly we will all hang separately." This is something you have to watch, since you should all have the same goal, but personalities and methods may clash, causing difficulties on the whole thing. And if those issues aren't dealt with, the infighting and distrust may destroy anything you built, and if they are hidden, you might find yourself in front of a new Shadow._

_I might seem a little harsh when I say this, but you are doomed if you can't get them to get over themselves and work as a team (the same goes for yourself, don't get your act together, you will cause more trouble than you can solve, so don't get cocky). _

_As to how can you solve those problems, try making team outings, and to get them to know each other a little better, to find some speck of common ground, or something they can agree on to break the ice. Remember that a conflict can come from whatever source, and that there's more to people than what meets the eye, and most of all, that the important things are never solved overnight, but they must be done or else, you can imagine what happens._

_I don't ask for you to make your entire team to be friends (even if it's the ideal thing), but there must exist a minimal level of trust, respect and loyalty on your team for you to succeed, never forget that. _

_As you may find yourself in a position of authority, even if it's field leader, so you can call the shots at some point. Since I don't know anything about the conditions you are fighting in, I can't give you much advice beyond what I have already told you, but some things I could tell you are: _

_A: Always keep your guard up, and have at least one member covering your back or blind spots. Yeah, scanners can tell you about Shadows nearby, but if a Shadow manages to attack you on the back because you rushed and didn't time it right, or you were busy fighting a group but didn't count on reinforcements._

_B: If you are too tired and beaten up, then it's time to escape, no need to play hero if you have the time, but you must know your limits unless you want to end six feet under._

_C: Use your environment correctly, pillars, dark corners, furniture, anything can help you rest or be a weapon, never forget that._

_D: No one gets left behind, always leave with all your team members, so fight just a little more in order to save them._

_E: A bit dumb, but remember the Persona you are using at all times, or else you might end up getting a bad surprise._

_Now, a bit of a personal advice, but be careful with brothers or other people with access to your more embarrassing moments and have visual proof._

The Star sighed, remembering how Koji thought it would be funny to show his baby pictures to the rest of the team, and then sat on his back as he tried to stop it.

_Remember, your bonds are your most powerful weapon, they need to cherish them, never try to isolate yourself from others. Being able to take care of yourself is great and all, but even the strongest need help sometimes. One man alone can do much, but together is when you can make miracles happen. _


End file.
